Home / LSA Students / Academics & Requirements / Majors & Minors / Near Eastern Studies (NES) /
Near Eastern Studies departmental information
The Department of Near Eastern Studies offers instruction in the languages, literatures, histories, cultures and religions of the ancient Near East and the medieval and modern Middle East. The department's language offerings provide the foundation for the academic study of the literatures, histories, cultures and religions of the region. The ancient language offerings include Sumerian, Egyptian, Akkadian, Hittite, Ugaritic, Avestan, Aramaic, and Classical Hebrew. The medieval and modern language offerings include Armenian, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Turkish, and Uzbek. The undergraduate programs in the department are designed to initiate the academic study of the region, enhance the student's critical skills, and promote an increased understanding of the historical processes underlying the transformation of cultures
Associated Units and Resources.
The department's offerings represent only a part of the total number of the University's courses devoted to the study of the ancient Near East and medieval and modern Middle East. Other campus units that can provide resources and relevant course offerings to the concentrator include:
- The Center for Middle Eastern and North Africa Studies (CMENAS)
- The Center for Judaic Studies
- The Department of Comparative Literature
For other resources and course offerings, applicants should consult the listings in the departments and program units of Anthropology, Classical Studies, History, History of Art, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Political Science.
Arabic Language Flagship Program. The University of Michigan Arabic Language Flagship Program (ALF) is a three-year program that provides training in Arabic language and culture at the undergraduate level. Qualified students are given the opportunity to achieve the ACTFL Superior Level proficiency in Arabic while pursuing an undergraduate major of their choice. The program also offers students the opportunity to study abroad through the Language Flagship Center in Alexandria, Egypt administered by the American Councils for International Education. For more information visit www.lsa.umich.edu/neareast/arabicflagship.